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The Crown points to the penalty spot

Article Abstract:

The legal action currently being taken in the UK against former Premier League footballers John Fashanu, Bruce Grobbelaar and Hans Segers clearly highlights the problems involved with proving that a footballer has deliberately made a mistake in order to influence the outcome of a match. It is claimed that all three men accepted large sums of money from an Indonesian betting syndicate in order to ensure that their club lost certain matches. Goalkeepers in particular frequently make mistakes, and all mistakes cannot be attributed to the influence of bribes.

Bruce Grobbelaar, currently goalkeeper with Southampton football club, is standing trial accused of accepting large sums of money to ensure that his former club, Liverpool, lost matches. The money is believed to have come from an Indonesian-based syndicate betting on the outcome of the fixed matches. The case also involves former Wimbledon goalkeeper Hans Segers and former Wimbledon player John Fashanu. The prosecution alleges that Grobbelaar effectively admitted his actions.

I would never let fans down - Grobbelaar

Article Abstract:

The jury at Winchester Crown Court has heard former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar strongly deny that he ever attempted to influence the outcome of a game. He has stated that he did not receive any money from Heng Suan Lim, a fellow defendant, to fix a match, although he was paid for predicting results. He believes that no footballer can ever determine the outcome of a game, and that the goals which were scored against him could not have been saved by any goalkeeper.